Safety closure for bottles and the like



July 17, 1962 H. S..COHN

SAFETY CLOSURE FOR BOTTLES AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 11, 1962 2Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

ATTORNEY July 17, 1962 H. s. COHN SAFETY CLOSURE FOR BOTTLES AND THELIKE Filed Jan. 11, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WHIP!!! )NVENTOR. BY WW1 MWATTORNEY United States Patent Ofifice Patented July 17, 1962 3 044 648SAFETY CLOSURE FCiR BOTTLES AND THELIKE Harold S. Cohn, 1539 MarcoPlace, Jacksonville, Fla. Filed Jan. 11, 1962, Ser. No. 165,492 12Claims. (Cl. 215-9) The present invention relates to safety closures forbottles and equivalent or similar containers such as jars, and itsprincipal object is to provide a closure structure which will providesubstantial protection against opening by young children and otherirresponsible persons and against opening by anyone unintentionally andwithout full realization of the fact that the container being opened isa very special one particularly designed to prevent accidental,unintended, or unwitting access to the container contents.

The invention is particularly, although not necessarily exclusively,intended for embodiment in bottle or jar type receptacles for suchpotentially dangerous substances as poisons, caustics, certain medicinesand the like which are commonly required to be kept in a householdmedicine cabinet, or on a kitchen shelf or analogous'location withinready access by substantially all ambulatory members of a family. Suchsubstances, generally liquids although in some cases comprising powders,tablets and other solid forms, present constant grave danger of beingaccidentally taken orally under the misapprehension that they aresomething other than what they actually are, as by an adult or othergenerally responsible person groping in the dark for some innocuouspreparation like an aspirin tablet, cough syrup, mouthwash or the like,or of being orally taken by immature or irresponsible personsparticularly small children. It is well known that extremely seriouseffects, amounting to death in an alarming number of instances, resultannually from such errors in opening the wrong bottle. K

It is a primary object of the present invention to safeguard the storageof dangerous liquids and solids, particularly in living quarters such asfamily households but also in any other environment where any similarcondition obtains, such for example as hospital and laboratory supplyrooms, by providing a type of container that (1) is substantially proofagainst being opened by a child below the age of discretion, and (2)cannot be opened by anyone except by a deliberate practice of a sequenceof particular manipulative operations requiring a modicum of skill andgenerating full appreciation of the fact that the com tainer is a veryspecial one protected by a unique type of closure that was probablyadopted for a purpose. 7 i

A more specific object is to provide a screwthreaded closure for abottle type of container that comprises a twopart combination of innerplug and outer cap which can be installed in closing position on thecontainer bya single simple continuous rotation of the assembly of plugand cap, but which requires, for opening the container, a more complexsequence of rotation of the cap, then inversion thereof and applicationto the plug, and finally rotation of the cap and plug together.

An incidental object is to provide a closure of the type indicated whichwill effect a double seal of the container, formed by two separategaskets, each being sealingly compressed between separate spacedsurfaces surrounding the container orifice and corresponding surfacesformed on difr in the form of a complemental spiral groove.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the closure; FIG. 3 is a radial crosssectional view of the closure, taken on the line 3--3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective View of the closure per se;

FIG. 5 is an elevational view, partly in axial cross section, of theupper portion of a bottle, as in FIG. 1, but showing the parts in therelation in which they are put to remove the closure and thereby openthebottle; and

FIG. 6 is a top plan View of the plug portion of the closure, taken onthe line 66 of FIG. 5.

In these FIGURES the reference numeral 10 designates generally the bodyof the container to be closed by the structure comprising the invention.As shown, this container in the embodiment selected to illustrate theinvention is a glass bottle, but within the broad scope of the inventiveconcept the container could be any of a wide variety of specificallydifferent kinds of receptacles, such as jars for example, and of coursethe material can be of any'suitable kind, such as hard or flexibleplastic, metal,

etc. i

The container is provided with an orificein its upper portion,hereinafter and in the appended claims broadly designated the neck ofthe bottle, without, however, necessarily implying any constriction inthe cross sectional area of the container body. This neck is designated12 in the drawings and it surrounds the orifice 14. Whatever may be thecross sectional shape of the container body 10, the neck is of overallcylindrical form and the orifice is circular. The neck is provided withan external screwthread '16 and an internal screwthread 18, bothpreferably quite coarse, half-round in section, and of steep pitch. Itis convenient to make the external thread 16 in the form of a projectingspiral rib and the internal thread 18 Both should be of the same pitch.

The orifice 14 is countersunk to provide a shoulder 20 just below theupper end of the neck which surrounds the inner bore of the neck andpreferably slopes thereinto, as;

best shown in FIG. 5. Optionally the container may have a radiallyoutstanding circumferential rib 22' at the juncture of the neck and bodyas is customary in bottles having externally threaded necks, and whichserves to trim the adjacent lower edge of the applied closure,hereinafter to be described, and to provide some protection to theclosure.

It will be recognized that the bottle construction as thus describedreadily lends itself to molding my automatic machinery of well knowntype and presents no problem and involves no cost over those of ordinarythreaded neck bottles.

The closure provided by the invention to cooperate with the externallyand internally threaded bottle is designated generally 24 and comprisesessentially the combination of an inner plug 26 and an outer cap 28.

The inner plug 26 is complemental in shape to the threaded bore and thecountersunk orifice of the bottle neck and hence comprises essentially alower portion 30 which is generally cylindrical but provided with anexternally projecting screwthread 32 complemental to and of the samepitch as the internal screwthread 18 of the neck, and an upperportion'34 which is radially enlarged and shaped to fit the counterboreof the neck and seat on the shoulder 20 thereof. The upper or top end ofthe plug 26 is a generally plane surface 36 which is broken by two roundholes 38 forming sockets extending into the plug equidistantly from andparallel to the plug axis, and" broken also by an arcuate groove 40 ofsubstantially inlength which descends slopingly into the body of theplug and is formed with the axis of the plug as its center and is setradially farther out. from the axis than the sockets 38. The groove 40is of the same pitch as the threads 16 and 18 and terminates abruptly atits deep end in a pronounced shoulder 42.

The proportions of the plug 26 and the inner surfaces of the bottle neck12 are such that the plug can be screwed down into the neck byengagement of the plug thread with the internal thread of the neck andso that when screwed fully down the sloping under surface of the upperportion 34 of the plug will seat on the shoulder 20 at the bottom of thecountersunk portion of the neck, and the top, generally flat and planesurface 36 of the plug will be flush with, or slightly below, the planeof the top surface of the neck, as clearly appears in FIG. 1. To enhancethe seal of the plug against the shoulder 20 a conventional type ofannular gasket 44 of rubber or the equivalent may be provided on theunder surface of the plug enlargement 34, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5.

The cap 28 is generally of inverted cup shape in form. Its innercylindrical surface is formed with a screwthread 46 which iscomplemental to and adapted to mesh with the external thread 16 of thebottle neck. The outer cylindrical surface of the cap is unthreaded andmay be quite plain and smooth as shown, or it may be milled or ribbed ifdesired.

The base of the cup-shaped cap, i.e., that part that would constitutethe bottom of the cup if the cap were disposed with its cylindrical partuppermost, has of course an inner surface 48 (facing the thread 46) andan outer surface 50 (comprising the top surface of the cap when the capis installed in closing relation on the container as shown in FIG. 1).The inner surface 48 of the cap is provided with a single downwardlyprojecting pin 52 set at the same distance from the axis of the cap asthe radius of the groove 40 in the plug 26 and of no greater length thanthe depth of the deep end of the groove, at the shoulder 42. The outersurface 50 of the cap is provided with two outwardly projecting pins 54,both set on the same diameter of the cap surface and at the same radialdistance from the cap axis as that of the sockets 38 from the axis ofthe plug 26.

The inner surface 48 of the cap is best provided with a sealing gasketof rubber or equivalent resilient material. This gasket may be annularin shape, like the gasket 44, or it may be a circular disc such as isshown at 56 in FIG. 4.

It will be evident from the foregoing description of the shape andstructure of the plug and cap that both may be molded, by the use ofwell known die and pressing apparatus, out of any of the numerousplastic compositions that are commonly used for analogous elements,e.g., such substituted resins as Bakelite, or polyvinyl chloride,polyethylene, nylon, etc.

In use, the container is closed by first starting the plug 26 into theinner bore of the neck 12. This is easily done by holding the enlargedupper portion 34 of the plug and screwing the plug down partially intothe neck. The cap 24 is then applied to the neck and started downthereon by rotating it with its thread 46 meshed with the outer thread16 of the neck. The pitch of all four threads of the several members issuch that as the cap descends onto the plug the pin 52 of the cap willenter the arcuate groove 40 and on further rotation of the cap will abutthe shoulder 42 at the deep end of the groove. Thereupon furtherrotation of the cap will clutch the plug to the cap and cause the plugalso to rotate, and both the cap and the plug will become finallyscrewed down into tight sealing engagement with the container neck, thegasket 44 of the plug bearing on the shoulder 20 of the counterbore ofthe neck and the gasket 56 of the cap bearing on the upper end of theneck. Thus the parts are in the relationship shown in FIG. 1 and thecontainer is doubly sealed.

To open the container the cap 24 is first unscrewed. Reverse rotation ofthe cap has no effect on the plug since the cap pin 52 simply rises outof the plug groove 40. The container of course remains completely sealedby the plug 26, and it will be noted that the plug cannot be removed byordinary manipulation because it is completely depressed below the upperend of the container neck, or at least the top surface of the plug isflush with the upper end of the neck, so that no part of the plug isaccessible to be gripped by the hand or fingers. Hence, while theinitial step of cap removal was not different from the completeoperation of opening any conventional screw capped bottle, and hencemight very well be performed by an irresponsible child, or by an adultin the dark, or by anyone under conditions conducive to an unawarenessof the actual dangerous contents of the bottle, the bottle still remainscompletely closed and its contents (and the person too) fully protected.Completion of the opening operation requires a further sequence ofsteps, and it is of the essence of the invention that these steps arecapable of being performed only with some difficulty, or at leastrequire deliberate and conscious attention, so that they are incapableof being performed by small children or are at least highly unlikely tobe performed by them, and so that it is quite impossible for an adult toperform them without being fully aware that he is doing something verydifferent from opening an ordinary bottle. Thus the closure issubstantially proof against removal by the immature and accidentally orunintentionally by the fully competent.

Completion of the opening operation is practiced in the mannerillustrated by FIG. 5 and consists in inverting the removed cap 28,seating its two pins 54 in the holes or sockets 38 in the top surface 36of the plug, and then rotating the cap counterclockwise to unscrew theplug from the neck.

It is believed that the foregoing brief explanation of the presentlypreferred embodiment of the inventive concept will make it clear tothose skilled in the art that the invention satisfactorily accomplishesthe objects hereinabove summarized.

It is to be understood that various details of the exemplary structureschosen to illustrate the invention are capable of being modified, and insome cases omitted, without departure from the broad principles of theinvention as defined by the more broadly worded of the appended claims.

Thus, for example, it will be recognized that the pin and socketcombination 54, 38 is merely one of many possible torque-transmittingexpedients. The specific shape of the pins and sockets can be varied, asfor example by making both frusto-conical, or the disclosed spannerwrench type of cooperating parts might be replaced by a slot and bladecoupling of conventional screwdriver type, or by a single square or hexsocket wrench coupling, etc. Again, the sealing finish of the plug mightbe located at its bottom rather than its top. end, etc. Many otherchanges and substitutions of equivalents are possible, and accordinglyit is the appended claims, rather than the specification and drawings,that are to be looked to for an understanding of the scope of theinventive novelty and of the protection therefor sought by thisapplication.

I claim:

1. A safety closure for a bottle or the like having an orifice-toppedneck provided with inner and outer screwthreads, some closure comprisinga plug having an external screwthread for meshing with the inner threadof the neck, a generally cup-shaped cap having an internal screwthreadfor meshing with the outer thread of the neck, and elements formed onportions of the cap and plug for .mutual engagement in clutchingrelation when the cap and plug are engaged with the respective threadsof the neck and the cap is rotated into closing relation with theorifice.

2. The safety closure defined by claim 1, in which said elements areseparable into declutching relation upon rotation of the cap. intoopening relation with the orifice.

3. The safety closure defined by claim 1, in which said elementscomprise a projection and a recess formed respectively on the plug andthe cap.

4. The safety closure defined by claim 1, in which said ace-geeselements comprise a projection formed on the inner surface of the baseof the cup-shaped cap and a recess formed in the top surface of theplug.

5. The safety closure defined by claim 1, in which said elementscomprise a pin projecting from the inner surface of the base of thecup-shaped cap and a shoulder formed at the end of an arcuate grooveslopingly indented in the top surface of the plug.

6. The safety closure defined by claim 1,'including projecting meansformed on the outer surface of the base of the cup-shaped cap and socketmeans formed on the top surface of the plug for engagement by saidprojecting means in torque-transmitting relation for unscrewing the plugfrom the neck.

7. The safety closure defined by. claim 1, including a pair of socketsformed on the top surface of the plug and a pair of pins formed on theouter surface of the base of the cup-shaped cap and insertible into saidsockets upon removal of the cap andinversion onto the plug forestablishing torque-transmitting relationship of the cap to the plug inunscrewing the plug from the neck.

8. The safety closure defined by claim 1, in which the plug includes anupper portion of larger diameter and a lower portion of smallerdiameter, with a downwardly facing shoulder intervening between the twoportions, and a sealing gasket formed on said shoulder seating on acomplemental shoulder formed on the bottle neck surrounding the orificetherein.

9. The safety closure defined by claim 1, includin a sealing gasketcarried by the inner surface of the cupshaped cap seating on the top ofthe neck surrounding the orifice therein.

10. The safety closure defined by claim 1, including a sealing gasketcarried by the inner surface of the cupshaped cap seating on the top ofthe neck surrounding the orifice therein, and in which the plug includesan upper portion of larger diameter and a lower portion of shoulderformed on the bottle neck surrounding said 11. The safety closuredefined by claim 1, in which the plug is provided with a radiallyextending circumferential shoulder adapted to make sealing engagementwith a complemental shoulder formed on the bottle neck surrounding theorifice therein and below the upper end of the neck, and in which theneck, plug and cap are so proportioned that the top stuface of the plugdoes not project above the upper end of the neck when said shoulders arein sealing engagement.

12. The safety closure defined by claim 1, in which said elementscomprise a pin projecting from the inner surface of the base of thecup-shaped cap and a shoulder formed at the end of an arcuate grooveslopingly indented in the top surface of the plug, and including a pairof sockets formed on the top surface of the plug and a pair of pinsformed on the outer surface of the base of the cup-shaped cap andinsertible into said sockets upon removal of the cap and inversion ontothe plug for establishing torque-transmitting relationship of the cap tothe plug in unscrewing the plug from the neck, said arcuate groove beingcircular and having as its center the axis of the plug, said first namedpin being positioned at the same radial distance from said axis as thegroove, and said sockets and second named pins being positioned an equaldistance from said axis which is different from said first nameddistance.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,044,648 July17, 1962 Harold S. Cohn It is hereby certified that error appears in theabove numbered patent requiring correction and that the said LettersPatent should read as corrected below.

Column 4, line 60, for "some" read said Signed and sealed this 30th dayof October 1962.

(SEA L) Attest: ERNEST w. SWIDER DAVID LADD Attesting OfficerCommissioner of Patents

